Understand
by p e a c e-l o v e-b e l l a
Summary: Nicky Russo has a box of chocolates to give to Payson for Valentines Day, but will she except them? After Loves Me, Loves Me Not. Oneshot.
1. Chapter 1

"Nicky."

The elite gymnast was staring into space.

"Nicky!"

The elite gymnast continued to stare absentmindedly into space.

"Nicky Russo!"

Finally, the elite gymnast seemed to hear his coach's voice.

"Yeah, Sasha?" he asked, walking towards him. "Is there…anything you need?"

"What I need is for you to focus. You messed up on all your landings today; something that doesn't happen often. Is there something wrong?"

Nicky shook his head. "No coach. Today was just a bad day for me. I'll be up and ready for tomorrow's practice," he said lightheartedly, a fake smile on his face.

Sasha seemed to take it. "Well, make sure you get plenty of rest then. I'll see you tomorrow."

Walking back into his office, Nicky took this chance to escape from the gym and into the fresh air.

It wasn't true really. There was something very wrong and he knew it. Payson. Payson Keeler. That was what was wrong. After she had told him she met a boy, he just couldn't bring himself to focus. Even when he was hanging out with Kailey (which usually brought him some consolation), he couldn't get their previous meeting out of his head.

_Flashback_

_"Okay, time for a break. I have to go see ahh…I mean I need to go outside for a breather," Nicky said to Kailey, rubbing the back of his head nervously. He wasn't nervous of what he was doing but more of what he was going to do. "Well, uhh, see you later."_

_With a last wave, he jogged over to his locker to throw on a sweater and grab a red box of chocolates in the shape of a heart. He had had the box custom made with Payson's name on the top of it._

_Walking casually outside, Nicky immediately saw the Keeler's car. Suddenly nervous, he decided to stuff the chocolates into his pocket until later._

_"Hey, your mom told me you were out here," he said, leaning his arm against the mirror._

_"Oh." Pause. "Hey." Another pause. "How's it going?"_

_There was something different about her; like she had weirdly lost her drive for everything, lost that excited energy that usually surrounded her. No, he must be imagining it, there was no way Payson Keeler would give up on anything._

_"Pretty good. How's high school treating you?"_

_"Great. I'm making lots of new friends," she replied, smiling a little more genuinely now._

_"Yeah?" he asked. He felt relieved and strangely happy when she smiled, but then again, it always had this effect on him._

_"And I met a guy. "_

_Smiling even more. This time, instead of feeling relaxed, he felt a deep pang of jealousy, something he wasn't used too._

_"Oh, well, that's cool," was all he could muster. It was sort of lame; the great gymnast Nicky Russo disappointed that the girl he liked had a boyfriend. When did he begin to worry about all that stuff?_

_"Yeah. It's great not having to worry about the no dating rule. I can whatever I want."_

_Suddenly, her mom got into the car, smiling and everything. When she saw Nicky, she immediately looked at Payson._

_"Am I interrupting?" she asked, a little surprised that her daughter was actually talking to a boy._

_"Nope," she said, a little to surely in his opinion._

_"I have to get to school," she whispered to him._

_Nicky wanted to scream "No! Don't go! I like you! I even bought chocolates for you!" But instead, he just simply stood there and nodded._

_"Okay. Well, ah, I'll see you later." With a slight wave, she was gone._

_Nicky was left there. Alone, standing with a big box of chocolates with his crush's name engraved on it in pretty, golden letters. Looking at them, he could feel the pain of rejection, of despair. Throwing them away in the trash can, he walked back into the gym without a second glance._

It wasn't fair. It really wasn't! Was attending high school changing Payson? And who was this new guy? What did he look like? Was he popular? All these thoughts swirled into his mind as he made his way out of the gym and into his car.

He had made all these sacrifices for her. Illegally bringing her Cortisone, going to a party just to see her, throwing away his practice time, it was all for her! Then why—why did she just brush him off like that? Was it because she wasn't a gymnast anymore and thought she wasn't good enough for him? Suddenly, the scariest thought came into his mind—was it because she had seen him with Kaylie?

No, there was no way that could be. Fine, he admitted it, he had been spending a lot of time with her recently, but that didn't matter! He had no feelings for her besides simply being friends!

It was sad the way things had turned out. He no longer knew what to do, where to be. His whole life was like a huge, giant puzzle with all the pieces scattered around the floor. He couldn't concentrate on his life, he couldn't concentrate on gymnastics. What would prove to her that he actually did really care?

Nicky Russo loved Payson Keeler, but she just didn't seem to understand anymore.

* * *

**So...do you like it? I was kinda disappointed that there was almost no Make it or Break it fanfiction...so here I am. Maybe I'll add another chapter to this explaining Payson's feelings on this? Review? **

**Bella xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I realize that this is late…but I decided to add another chapter. Enjoy~**

Payson couldn't seem to get the scene of Nicky and Kailey together of her mind. She had tried to get rid of it all day but to no avail. And the incident had happened yesterday! That was two days for her to think about it! What was wrong with her? Things like this didn't usually didn't have/leave any impression on her at all.

Deep down though, she knew what was wrong. When she had walked in to see Nicky on top of Kailey, her throat choked up and she felt like she was about to throw up. Worst of all, her heart seemed to have shriveled up and died; she swore it missed a beat or two. It wasn't fair! It really wasn't. Sure, her career as a gymnast was over! But that didn't give him a reason to just suddenly dump her did it? Why had he moved on? Why did he have to like Kailey now?

Payson fought to keep the torrent of tears and emotions from coming out. Sniffling once or twice, she tried to adjust her back brace to no avail. Punching her pillow with frustration, she gave up and let the rushing tears flow out.

Everything was going wrong! First she humiliates herself in front of everyone at Nationals, gets a back brace and can hardly walk, and finally, she loses her one and only love to one of her best friends. Could things get any worse?

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door and her mother poked her head into the room. Quickly wiping her tears away, she sat up and tried to appear perky.

"Everything okay?" her mother asked with concern in her voice. Sure Payson was still dealing with the disappointment of losing her dream but she had never skipped dinner before.

"Yeah, mom. Everything's okay. Don't worry about me and go eat dinner. My stomach's just feeling a little frail," she replied, giving her mom a tight smile.

Watching her close the door, Payson let the tears come out again freely. Everything wasn't alright! It was the complete opposite.

_Flashback_

_"Hey, your mom told me you were out here," he said, leaning his arm against the mirror._

_Nicky sounded so causal, like the whole incident with Kailey hadn't happened at all. Payson wanted to scream at him for being two-timed, scream at him enjoying Kailey's company, but all she did was look at him and try to act normal. _

_"Oh. Hey. How's it going?"_

_Payson tried to sound uninterested. She didn't realize until later that she, Payson Keeler, who never cared about anything else but gymnastics, wanted to make Nicky Russo jealous. _

_"Pretty good. How's high school treating you?"_

_"Great. I'm making lots of new friends," she replied, smiling a little more genuinely now._

_For a minute, Payson forgot to be mad at him. Simply talking to him was enough to erase any grudge that she had against him. _

_"Yeah?" he asked. _

_"And I met a guy."_

_She didn't exactly know what drove her to say this, but it was said and done. Anyways, it wasn't exactly a lie. She did meet a guy. He just was not her boyfriend. _

_"Oh, well, that's cool," he said._

_Payson wanted to smack him on the head to wake him up. He didn't even seem to care that she had said she had a boyfriend now! Did she not matter at all to him anymore? Did he not feel even the tiniest bit jealous? _

_"Yeah. It's great not having to worry about the no dating rule. I can whatever I want."_

_Suddenly, her mom got into the car, smiling and everything. When she saw Nicky, she immediately looked at Payson._

_"Am I interrupting?" she asked._

_"Nope."_

_She hoped that her mother couldn't detect the hurt in her face. _

"_I have to get to school," she explained to Nicky, struggling to keep the nonchalant look on her face. _

_Nicky nodded, a small smile on his face. _

_"Okay. Well, ah, I'll see you later." With a slight wave, he was gone. _

_Payson hated school at that moment. She wanted to jump out of the car right then and there and just go run after him; to join everyone at the gym again. Instead, she kept all the hurt feelings and locked them away, trying to forget them, every single one of them. _

Payson was glad that Nicky had even made the effort to talk to her, but the thought of Kailey and him kissing wiped out any grateful feeling towards him. Wiping the tears from her face, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breathe. There was no time for self-pity. Maybe one day, she'll belong to him. But until then….she'll try her hardest to content herself by simply watching him and secretly crushing on him.

_One day….one day…_

**That turned out a little differently then I wanted it too…but that's okay….:)**

**Disclaimer:: I don't own Make It or Break It. (even though I wished I did)**


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